Farmhouse Table Remix {How to Build a Farmhouse Table}

Wondering how do you make a Farmhouse Table on the Cheap? We took told old tables and DIYed them into a huge, modern-meets-rustic farmhouse table. Even if you’ve never done any Furniture building, this will be easy enough for you!

********************************************************************

I am sooo excited to finally reveal our dining room table with all of you! Not only am I going to show you the finished product, but just in case you want to try this (which you totally should) Eric and I are going to give you a little play-by-play (aka longwinded tutorial). Blue is Eric and Purple is me! If you haven’t been following along with the journey to making our own table, check out this post first, so you know why we started this crazy project. I’ll warn you that this post is a little long but, I think it’s worth it in the end!

Now, the play-by-play…

How to Make a Farmhouse Table (our way)

1. Aquire a table or two to be the foundation (aka find an old junky table)

2. Plan the length and width of your new farmhouse table

3. Build a Sub-frame from cheapy wood

4. Choose planks for the table top

5. Cut, Cut, Cut

6. Determine the layout of the table top boards (kind of like a puzzle)

7. Sand, sand, and sand some more (or buy a good router)

8. Screw, Screw, Screw

9. Create trimming edge

10. Stain the wood (I love the grey we created!)

11. Paint the legs and base

12. Seal the table

Ok, Monica wants me, (her wonderful husband), to do a little explanation on what we did to make our new, gigantic table. I’ll do my best to describe. Let me explain, though, that I am NOT a skilled wood-worker or craftsman. The only thing is that I’m not afraid to try something I’ve never done. If you take anything away from this long-winded explanation of what I did, you should take this – anyone can do this stuff. You just need to be patient, determined, and not afraid to try and try again. Ok, that’s all the pep talk you’re gonna get. Here goes… (I must interject here that I think my hubs just gave all of blogland a motivational pep talk, and I love it and love him!)

1. The foundation… Monica had ideas as to what type of table she wanted. She wanted it about 10 feet long and 4 feet wide. She had several sample ideas, but all of them required me to build the whole foundation of the table and the only tools I own are a miter saw, drill and hammer. Crafting the legs, frame and everything else seemed like more than I wanted to take on at the time, so we decided to look for an old, beat-up table that we could just make a table top to place on top of. We got the perfect answer when Grandpop Bunney (yes, that’s really his name) called and said that at their retirement community, someone was selling two, identical, 5-foot long tables for $20 EACH!!! In case you’re one who struggles with math (i.e. Monica), two 5-foot long tables put next to each other make a 10-foot table! We had our foundation!

2. Planning… So the length of the table was good, but it was only 3 feet wide. This is just too thin for our big family. So, I spent a lot of time planning and researching to see what to do. My final plan ended up coming down to what could I do, as easily as possible, and without totally screwing it up.

3. Create a Sub-frame… The plan was to build a “sub-frame” on top of the existing table-top and then just lay the new table-top on top of the “sub-frame” (that’s a lot of tops). I don’t even know if “sub-frame” is a word, or if it is the right word for what I made… but, basically, this sub-frame is just some thin, skinny boards laid across the old table-top that would extend out past the edge of the old table-top and thus, create support for expanding the width of the new table top to 4 feet wide. The wooden supports are staggered because I changed my mind about the width after my wonderful husband had already cut all the pieces. Typical Monica move…Oops!

4. Choose your wood… I looked at all kinds of wood, but the nicer it gets, the pricier it gets. Monica wanted wood that was had some character to it, so she wanted some knots in it and some distressed marks on it. Also, she knew that we have 4 kids who still think that the primary purpose of a spoon and fork are to play drums on the table instead of eating, so this table was not going to last long without some dings and scratches no matter how nice the wood was. I also didn’t want to be a psycho host that was always worried about my friends and family marking it up. I went to Lowes and they have 1 inch thick, by 8 inch wide by 10 feet long pine boards for just $13. This is not your nice, cleanly cut wood. This is the uglier, knottier, more distressed looking wood. Believe it or not, I wanted to get the nicer wood, but Monica wanted to cheaper wood (b/c of the character). At just $13 per board, I didn’t mind giving in and using the cheap wood. Really, who needs a truck when you have a mini van?? Table wood and bootcamp supplies all fit!

5. Cut, Cut, Cut… So the boards are 10 feet long and 8 inches wide, right? So planned to just lay 6 boards across and we have a table that’s exactly 4 feet wide (6 x 8 inches = 48 inches, for those of you mathematically challenged). I cut and laid the whole sub-frame for a 48-inch wide table.

One small problem… when Lowes says that the board is 8 inches wide, they don’t mean that it’s actually 8 inches wide. Each board was 7.25 inches wide! WHAT THE HECK!!! I built the whole “sub-frame” to the wrong width! This is definitely where my inexperience comes in. Just b/c Lowes says it’s 8 inches wide, doesn’t mean it’s 8 inches wide. Why doesn’t Lowes just make the boards 8 inches?!? DUMB!!! I guess I should have known that though… everyone knows a 2×4 isn’t actually 2 inches by 4 inches. Idiot! Well, now our table was going to be 7 boards wide, and each board is 7.25 inches. So our final width was 51 inches. I cut 7 boards 110.25 inches long to make the length of the table and then two 51-inch horizontal end pieces to cap it off.

6. Sanding… The whole table is cut and ready, now it’s time to sand. Grandpop B lent me his hand-held electric sander, and boy am I glad. Typically, you would use a router to round the edges of the wood and give them that finished look. But, did I mention that I don’t own too many tools? I spent my evenings sanding the edges of the boards until they had a rounded, finished look. Sanding was definitely the most time-consuming part of the whole project.

7. Screwing… In my mind, this step was going to be simple. Just lay out the cut, sanded boards on top of my “sub-frame” and screw them in from the bottom. The problem was that since we used those cheap, $13 boards, NONE of them were straight. They all had curves in them so when I would lay them side-by-side, there was always a large gap between the boards. I could live a small gap (1/8 inch or less), but I’m talking about about a ½ inch to 1 inch gap at some spots. Monica and I spent about a ½ hour laying out different boards to see which ones would have the smallest gap in between when laying next to each other – it was almost like putting together a puzzle. Once we had an order, I screwed the first board starting at the outside. For all the table-top boards, I screwed from the bottom, through the table top, through the sub-frame and into the new table-top boards. After the first board was in, I just went down the line, screwing in the other 6 boards. The Pine boards were pliable enough that I could push any gap in between the boards almost completely closed tight before I screwed it in place. After all 7 long boards were in place, I screwed in the final 2 end cap boards in place.

8. Staining… At this point, the table looked pretty cool, but I was worried. Monica and I paint a lot, and we’re pretty decent at it but, I HATE staining! It just never seems turn out well.

Since we both are afraid of stain…I used lots of extra wood to create sample boards… I first wanted to figure out how to go about distressing the table. This was my arsenal of tools…

Unfortunately, it looked like… well, it looked like I had attacked my wood with a bunch of random tools. Ugh.

I decided to wait on the distressing and focus on the color. I wanted a farm-table-meets-Restoration-Hardware grey color stain for the table. I tried about 14 techniques. Honestly, I did.

Fortunately, Anthony Lelli, a friend of ours is a painter and he talked with Monica and got a custom grey stain for us that was EXACTLY what she was wanted. Yippee!! After some practice stains and several calls to Anthony for staining advice, I did it. Apply the product… wait a minute… wipe it off. Piece of Cake!

10. The finished product…

We could not be happier with the color and look of the table. The cheap pine (at least for now) looks awesome. It may get beat-up way faster than a nice oak or maple table, but for only about $200 total, we have a huge dining room table that can easily fit 14-16 people.

Seriously, I LOVE this project. When we first started thinking about building our own table, when neither of us are woodworkers, well we were very unsure. We couldn’t have imagined how cool our 8 legged farmhouse table remix would turn out.

So, are you ready to make one of your own?

**We’ve gotten so many great comments and questions about this project that there’s a Q & A follow up post that you can check out here. If you still have questions, just shoot us an email. We love to hear from you!**

Monica Mangin owns East Coast Creative and is the visionary behind its various creative endeavors. Designer, DIYer, TV Host, and Brand Ambassador, Monica is driven and energized by her creative passions. She is committed to making amazing style and experiences attainable and accessible for real life.

This is incredible! Seriously I hope my husband will up for helping me to do this someday. I’ve always wanted a large table, but they’re so expensive. This is the PERFECT solution! Thanks for the step-by-step!

Awesome! Thanks for sharing! Love how it turned out. I had the same problem with the measurements when we built our small deck in our backyard. I measured and calculated how much wood we’d need to buy and my mind was boggled how I came up short. It sucked even worse that we had borrowed a friend’s truck to pick up the wood, then had to borrow it again to get the other planks. lol

First let me say, I would pay $1500.00 for a table like this. I found this on Pinterest and dying to make one.

Were you able to get the table legs to match the top? Did you have to sand them etc? Did you use anything to fill the cracks between the boards before staining? And how were the horizontal boards attached?

Your table looks fantastic! Using the other tables as a frame is pure genius! Thanks for the directions, I could do this on my own.

I made a large farmhouse table years ago (my father in law helped with the frame) and for cheap wood I went to a second hand thrift shop and bought an old pine water bed frame for $10. Combined with 4 table legs purchased (for $5) at a church sale and some cheap sturdy lumber and hardware for the frame, we built and stained it for less than $50. I’m still using it but it’s now my awesome art room table as it’s too big for my new dining area.

Keep in mind that when buying wood it’s never EXACTLY what it says it is due to planing (taking off about an 1/2 inch on all sides). This is with ALL wood unless it is a rough cut. But I love the table and I have been trying to make a simple one such as this but with pallet wood. Great tutorial! Thanks!

We currently have a round table in our dining room and there is not a lot of room to walk by it, so this gave me an idea to remove the round table top and make a rectangle one! Your table is beautiful!

The reason for Lowes measurements being off is that your wood has been planed. i.e. The mill cuts a board 2 x 6 THEN planes it down smooth it out. Planeing takes .25 inches off each side of a board, so a board that was 2 x 6 becomes 1.5 x 5.5.

What a beautiful table! My wife and I love making our own furniture- It always feels so good seeing the piece and knowing that we made it together. If you two think about making something else, there is an awesome place to get free furniture plns from a homemaker who designs furniture based on items from places like Pottery Barn and then creates her own step-by step instructions for how to build them. Her website and blog are at http://www.ana-white.com

I am in LOVE with this table!! We are currently in the process of building one similar and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the stain you used!! Can you tell me whats in the stain mixture! I cant find anything else like it!! Thanks!

Beautiful table. Lumber measurements are before the wood is dried. It shrinks and bends when it dries – then is planed to make it straight and take off the “fuzziness.” Lowes isn’t dumb for doing this. You would really not want an unplaned board for your table. It would take forever to sand it and it would still be wavy.

Great table! I am going to attempt a table like it and very much appreciate the inspiration. As for the wood dimensions (just so you can sound super smart – because wood dimensions come up in conversation SO often), there are two kind of dimensions: nominal and actual. Nominal is the dimension of the board before it has been been planed (a small portion taken off to make the wood smooth and the dimensions more accurate) and seasoned (the process of taking water out of the wood to an appropriate level). This kind of dimension does not use inch marks…i.e. 2×2. Actual dimensions are the dimensions after the wood has been planed and seasoned. These kind of dimensions use inch marks…i.e. 1.5″x1.5625″. I have to use my architectural degree somewhere – even if it is on a comment board!

This is a great site and I love your tables, you did such a good job on them. I love the country style look with old rusted wood interior. We just bought a antique dinning room table that I wanted to re-do. I have been looking for different table bases to use. I really like how you staned yours dark brown. I think I may go with the old wood and white frame so maybe that technique would also look good on our table. I have also seen table base ideas such as using tree trunks and big tiled pots. I think those ideas are for a more contemporary style but I really like the country look.

HI,
My husband just completed an entire custom kitchen for me in our 1953 house. It turned out beautiful. He is now building me a farm table. It looks kind of like yours. I am really interested in what kind of chairs you purchased. I really love them……… they go perfect with the table. Wanted to know the name (manufacturer). Are they old or something you can purchase from a local or from just junkin @ garage sales? I love your site and really like refinishing. I go junkin with my friend all the time. I call her the Junkin Queen! Thanks in advance for your help.
Sincerely, Kellie

The stain on Monica’s farmhouse table is a custom grey stain. It might help to print out the photo of the table and take it with you to the store. Thanks for stopping by the blog, glad to hear you love the table!

Back in the old days, lumber was sold in exact dimensions, (eg. A 4×4 actually measured 4″x4″) so save on cash but still have the same strength lumber mills started cutting them smaller. Typically by 1/2″ so a modern day 4×4 will measure 3.5″x3.5″. Doing this enables companies to get more out of the material, and to cut down the mouthfuls we stick to saying the simple dimensions.

The stain looks a lot like the Rustoleum Weathered Gray. I just used it this past weekend with similar results on some small pine shelves. If time allows, I will finish my rustic table with the Weathered Gray stain with Briwax finish this weekend. I hope it comes out looking as good as yours!

Trackbacks

[…] A Kreg Jig is a great, inexpensive tool for building furniture. We used one when we built our farmhouse table, outdoor table, garage lockers and so much more. It creates a pocket hole to hide your […]

[…] the previous example, though designed and built on a large scale, is a DIY farm table project from East Coast Creative, which includes some intentional distressing to enhance the antique look. The table top attaches to […]

[…] want to see the original Farmhouse Table that resides in my dining room, well check out the post here. It has a bit more of a modern flair than the traditional, rustic farmhouse style we did for this […]

diy gallery

Instagram is my fav! Come follow along!

Pinterest Junkie? Me Too.

Visit The EC2 Brand Site

EC2 Recommends

Monica Mangin owns East Coast Creative and is the visionary behind its various creative endeavors. Designer, DIYer, TV Host, and Brand Ambassador, Monica is driven and energized by her creative passions. She is committed to making amazing style and experiences attainable and accessible for real life.